Finally! Make your own cloth pull-ups!

Finally! Save money and make your own cloth pullups! These are easier than they look!














I found that buttons keep the pullup together the best when pulling them up and down your babies legs. I originally tried snaps and they kept unsnapping while I was pulling them up on my little girl. Then I tried hook and eye and those would barely stay together period! So I resulted to buttons and they work and look the best! Have fun with your buttons! There are so many cute buttons for sale! Check back soon for a post I'll be putting up about how to make your own very NEAT button holes.














Cut out two 22" x 7" strips. You may want to make the strips wider for a larger child. This size is perfect for my 18 month old but a bit narrow in the tush for my 3 1/2 year old. (He still wears nighttime pullups). So feel free to adjust the width. The length however fits them both fine.

Next, cut out four 8" x 5 1/4 " strips. These will be your sides.

Hem both the tops down of the two strips. This will be the opening to stuff the diaper.














Next, cut your elastic. I measure and mark
5 1/2" down the front end (where the hem is) of the strip and 5" down the other end of the strip and putting the two strips right sides together, sew your elastic, between the two marks, stretching as you sew. The tighter you stretch the elastic, the tighter it will be around your babies inner legs and the shorter the pullup will be. Experiment a little with this to find yours and your babies personal preference.
Next, sew a small strip of elastic on the wrong side of the fabric (see photo below) about 1 1/2 " from the top of the back end of the pullup (the end that is not hemmed.





























Next, sew three even strips of elastic (stretching as you sew) on the wrong side of two of the strips. I space them about an inch apart and sew them about 3/4" to 1" from the ends.















This is how the right side looks when you're done sewing the three strips of elastic. This is the piece that will go around your babies waist.















Next, sew the other two small strips of fabric to the ones with the elastic, leaving one end open in order to turn right side out.










































Next, pin the side strips inside the pullup (see photo), making sure the right side of the strip (the side that shows the elastic stitches) and the back of the pullup (the end with the little piece of elastic) will both be showing on the outside of the pullup when on your baby. If you're confused see photos of finished product. (My skill with words is not that great).

Sew the entire pullup with right sides together leaving the hemmed end open. Flip right side out.













Begin top stitching. This is very important. See this picture and the picture of the finished product below (a few photos down) to see how neat it looks when topstitched.















Voila! Homemade, stuffable pullups! Stuff them lighter for daytime use, and heavier for night time use.

Please leave feedback! I would like to know how these are working for everyone!

Black Gold!

Composting is the most natural, organic way to add nutrients back into your soil. Add compost to your fall beds, cover with cardboard and straw and next spring just cut a hole in the cardboard where you want your plants, set them in the dirt and voila! You'll almost never have to water or weed all summer! The cardboard and straw keep the weeds out and the moisture in! I've thourouly enjoyed my garden all summer as I have not had to work in it much!
This is a bucket of composted leaves that sat in our driveway in a pile all winter, spring, and part of summer. The leaves are now a fine, rich compost for my garden! Now this year I'm going to be sure and MOVE that leaf pile down to my compost and turn it several times this year with manure and kitchen scraps. Imgine how rich that will be!
Now I could go into all the details of composting, but most successful gardeners I've met don't worry so much about the ratio of their compost. They usually say something like, "Just throw in some kitchen scraps, some egg shells, leaves, and manure, and it'll be fine!" Just remember the more you turn it the quicker it will compost.

Wild Garlic - Allium Vineale

Save money at the grocery store and room in your garden by harvesting your own wild garlic! It is a fun addition to outdoor time and cooking! My son loves to search for the garlic stems and pull them up after a nice spring rain.
Here are some interesting bits of information about wild garlic:
The difference between wild garlic and wild onion - wild garlic has hollow and round stems and little tiny cloves (see picture below). Wild onion does not.
Nutrional info: The whole plant is antiasthmatic, blood purifier, carminative (causing the release of stomach or intestinal gas), cathartic (laxative), diuretic, expectorant, hypotensive, stimulant and vasodilator (widens blood vessels - good for circulation). A tincture is used to prevent worms and colic in children, and also as a remedy for croup. The raw root can be eaten to reduce blood pressure and also to ease shortness of breath. Although no other specific mention of medicinal uses has been seen for this species, members of this genus are in general very healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory system.
Other uses: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles. The juice of the plant can be rubbed on exposed parts of the body to repel biting insects!
Cultivation details: Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. This species is a pernicious weed of grassland in Britain, spreading freely by means of its bulbils. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

So get out there and dig up some garlic!

But remember not to eat garlic picked from a chemically fertilized lawn!!!

Super Healthy Granola!